Author Topic: Craft Fairs  (Read 25139 times)

Offline The Bowler Hatted Turner

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Re: Craft Fairs
« Reply #45 on: September 20, 2018, 10:49:44 PM »
In reply to Tony's comments about there being an inner urge, not sure about that but I have to say that I enjoy my job and usually can't wait to get up and go to work in the mornings so that can't be a bad thing, especially at my age!! What is the saying? find a job you love and you will never work another day in your life? that's about right give or take some days.But the job becomes a way of life in the end, again not such a bad thing, and the feeling of being stress free and content with your lot has to be worth something,or am I missing something? (other than money)

Offline Sandy

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Re: Craft Fairs
« Reply #46 on: September 21, 2018, 07:54:18 AM »
That sounds spot on to me BHT!

Kind regards

Offline fuzzyturns

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Re: Craft Fairs
« Reply #47 on: September 21, 2018, 09:17:19 AM »
Yes, these are all good things, but in the end of the day there are bills to pay. And if you are not making enough money to pay those bills, then eventually the hunger/thirst/cold/whatever will make your life so miserable that the joy of doing what you love doing comes to an end.  And for this very reason I cannot afford to attend shows where the outgoings exceed the incomings.

Offline willstewart

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Re: Craft Fairs
« Reply #48 on: September 21, 2018, 11:16:44 AM »
An alternative to taking cards (eg contactless) which is now normal at most local events is PayPal.  You can send/accept payments from a smartphone whilst at the stand.  I have used this at shows and it can work - not quite so slick as a payment machine perhaps but quite good and saves fiddling with cash.

Offline bodrighywood

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Re: Craft Fairs
« Reply #49 on: September 21, 2018, 07:06:10 PM »
Yes, these are all good things, but in the end of the day there are bills to pay. And if you are not making enough money to pay those bills, then eventually the hunger/thirst/cold/whatever will make your life so miserable that the joy of doing what you love doing comes to an end.  And for this very reason I cannot afford to attend shows where the outgoings exceed the incomings.

I totally agree. I will not lay out money for a show unless I can pay it i.e. won't go into debt to do it. I also only do shows that return my investment (cost of show, materials, hourly rate for work, transport and accomodation etc) plus a profit that is acceptable. For this reason I have dropped several shows over the years and focus on shows that give me said profit. To expect to make a large profit at every show is unrealistic but return has varied from 400+% of my costs to under 100%. If it gets less than 25% then I look elsewhere.  As I have said before it depends a lot on several things, having a varied choice of irtems for sale and a good selection of them, having a display that shouts quality and uniqueness and being prepared to make a lot of things that perhaps aren't great fun but sell well. I have had two weeks of making nothing but christmas decorations and ear ring stands but 10 years experience of doing shows has taught me that these along with a few other faithfuls sell and often make up the cost of the show. Fancy art work may bring in the profit but at the end of the day as you say Fuzzy, we do shows to pay bills as well as because we enjoy them. Yes I love wood turning but it is also work and at times boring work at that.

Pete
Turners don't make mistakes, they have design opportunities

Offline TWiG

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Re: Craft Fairs
« Reply #50 on: October 13, 2018, 06:55:21 PM »
Quite an interesting thread ..... I sell mostly through galleries but had a bit of a build up at home of stock that was unsold and then removed from galleries so I tried a few craft fairs this year , with similar experiences as others have mentioned above , weather affected 3 of them ( 2 with rain , and 1 with extreme heat and a world cup event !! ) I more than covered my costs but did not really sell as much as I would have liked too .....speaking to others I think I did pretty well indeed , but in all honestly I do not think it is really financially viable if all costs are considered to go down this route although I mostly enjoyed the events I attended though ....but .... selling work ( of any craft ) is not really easy and takes a fair bit of effort and time and expense for the  financial return  , but what choice do we have ????    Galleries are few and far between , I do not think turned items are good to sell on-line , perhaps this is why nearly all turners  trying to do it for a living do mostly tuition ,demos etc etc ....I will continue to do some craft fairs but I also do other work ...driftwood , furniture etc etc ...I just like creating things and realise that things will only sell for what some one will pay for it !!!!   and am happy with that ...

Offline bodrighywood

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Re: Craft Fairs
« Reply #51 on: October 13, 2018, 10:12:28 PM »
Quite an interesting thread ..... I sell mostly through galleries but had a bit of a build up at home of stock that was unsold and then removed from galleries

Be interested as to what galleries you sell through as virtually every gallery I have approached smile politely and say that they don't do wood. Those that do seem to add at least 100% onto the asking price before dsiplay making your work either unaffordanle or not viable for you. There are two exceptions I know of but am open to be proven wrong?

pete
Turners don't make mistakes, they have design opportunities

Offline TWiG

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Re: Craft Fairs
« Reply #52 on: October 14, 2018, 07:45:28 PM »
Hi pete ,   I have had work in quite a few galleries over the years , some are not trading for a long time , in places like St Ives , Truro , Tintagel , Dartmouth , and Salcombe  plus a few others  .... The main ones have been The Devon Guild of Craftsmen where I have been a member for about 20 years and also at Dansels in Dorset  , where I think you have some work ( or did ) , not all of my work is turned some is driftwood , furniture and carving but I have found galleries on the whole very good , I know they take a commission but they seem to achieve prices that are not achievable at craft fairs , and then if you calculate all your costs of a craft fair , stall fee , travel , accommodation ?, and time being there  etc etc ,then the net price you receive  is about the same ( usually less ) I have a few good friends who are artists and often get suggestions of places that they feel would suit my work , I get around a lot with work and personal activities and visit places that interest me and often get in to a conversation with Gallery owners .  I keep saying to myself to get to some bigger towns and cities on a sales mission but have never got round to it yet ......one thing many people ( artists and craftsmen ) have told me is that making is easy , selling less so , especially at the prices you would like !   I like to think galleries are my marketing department and I just get on with making .... but I can make more than I can sell  at the moment , but have no desire to spend all day in a dusty shed by myself !!!    Terry ... 

Offline The Bowler Hatted Turner

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Re: Craft Fairs
« Reply #53 on: October 14, 2018, 09:31:53 PM »
Twig there is nothing I like more than spending a day in my dusty shed on my own Well one or two things but you know what I mean. At one stage of my life I spent a little bit of time away from working with wood and although I was doing quite well there was always the need to be creative knawing at my insides not neccessarily from an artistic angle but just the need to make something. Now I make something everyday, shame the only thing I am not very good at making is money. ::) ::) ::)

Offline ALAN THOMAS RPT

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Re: Craft Fairs
« Reply #54 on: October 16, 2018, 10:29:32 AM »
This topic has rumbled around for as long as I can remember and there is no real answer to the question of what to make or where to be to guarantee sales of sufficient volume to make money at Fairs. I have done hundreds of fairs of all shapes and sizes over the years and where I have done well one year I have struck out the next. I do very few these days, most are local to me, don't cost much if anything ( some fairs don't charge if you demo ) and I look at them as a day out with my small lathe and as a marketing exercise promoting woodturning and also my courses and demo's. If I make any sales it is usually enough to cover my out of pocket expenses and it is always good to get out of the workshop and chat to people ( it gives me a chance to practice my sales patter as well! ). My only advice is to produce goods that are the best quality you can and charge a sensible price for the time and effort that you have invested it your work.
just one last cut and it will be perf...oh boll.....!

Offline The Bowler Hatted Turner

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Re: Craft Fairs
« Reply #55 on: October 16, 2018, 10:00:23 PM »
I think you have hit the nail on the head Alan, quality always sells but sometimes the customer wouldn't know quality if it bit them on the
bum  ;D  I have found that customers are interested in the "back story" of a piece of wood or creative idea or even of me on occasions.

Offline bodrighywood

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Re: Craft Fairs
« Reply #56 on: October 16, 2018, 11:00:23 PM »
Depends on the shows you do. Having done various types for about 10 years we have come to the conclusion that certain types just aren't worth it. Shows that we have found are a waste of time include country fairs, Christmas fairs such as Salisbury, Bath, etc. Big fairs such as Bath & West, Royal Cornwall. Trade fairs such as Harrogate and the local church hall, village hall fairs. For one reason or another these all fail. The ones that do work, at least for us are the dedicated, makers only ones that are organised by crafters for crafters and have a long standing reputation. They aren't cheap and naturally can't guarantee that you will make a profit but so far over the last 7 years that we have focused on them we have consistently made a profit. The biggest problem we see is when you get makers (not exclusively turners) who forget that they are selling to non crafters and lack variety in both work and prices and either price their work out of the market, too high, or at silly prices that scream cheap, too low. I accept that I have a distinct advantage in that Bodrighy Wood has input from 30 years experience of selling, designing, displaying and marketing quality craftsmanship but at the end of the day maybe what we all need to accept is that  selling, especially via shows is an art and a craft of its own. Those that say craft shows are a waste of time I am afraid just ain't doing it right.

Pete
Turners don't make mistakes, they have design opportunities

Offline Les

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Re: Craft Fairs
« Reply #57 on: October 17, 2018, 09:06:18 AM »
My take on craft fairs is that you have to enjoy doing them, many years ago I had to stop taking the risk of making stock and having a bad weekend trying to sell it and I moved in to other turning avenues. Over 95% of things that I make are pre sold and I found that the best way of earning a significant income from turning ( would be interesting to find out what people call a living ). My dad still does local fĂȘtes and agricultural shows , sells his work far too cheap but is having a great time keeping him a young 81 years old, a good day for him money wise would not be the same as me. I agree with Pete when he says that you have to pick and choose the shows but you are still slightly reliant on the weather especially  if its and outdoor venue.  I now do one show a year where I sell my demo/magazine article pieces this is at the xmas bazaar in my local golf club, Guinness and bacon sarnies on tap all day, just perfect

Les

Offline TWiG

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Re: Craft Fairs
« Reply #58 on: October 17, 2018, 09:21:11 PM »
[

The statement that quality always sells is often  stated  .....but it has to be "on sale "  and the main ways of marketing are galleries or craft fairs , they will not sell on a shelf at home ! , and for most people sales are required for income to sustain a lifestyle or hobby or the house will become clogged up with stuff  !! and the incentive to make more and hopefully improve/ experiment / enjoy  as a turner  will diminish .   
« Last Edit: October 17, 2018, 09:22:59 PM by TWiG »

Offline crazylegs

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Re: Craft Fairs
« Reply #59 on: October 22, 2018, 09:30:56 PM »
interesting and varied comments.
What about people who just want to cover the cost of their hobby?
We don't all want to make a living at it we just like doing it.
I have started selling a few pieces and I will fall into the 'far too cheap' bracket but I don't care. I am just happy when someone appreciates an object I have made. I do not factor in time, electricity, travel or consumables these are all just part of the making process. For me if I cover the cost of the wood and enough to buy another bit then I am happy the price of a bacon sandwich is a bonus!
Sorry if that upsets the professional turners but it is my Hobby not my job.
never try to be better than others just better than you were yesterday.